Richard Griffiths

When the word “Falstaffian” is used to describe an actor, it’s usually intended as a euphemistic reference to his girth. But in Richard Griffiths’ case, he really captured the dissolute, larger-than-life outrageousness of Shakespeare’s signature rotund rascal in myriad stage and screen roles. The British character actor, who died on March 28 at age 65 in Coventry, England, after complications from heart surgery, actually did play Falstaff in Henry IV, Part I and Part II, for the Royal Shakespeare Company. …